how far is it reasonable to walk with a roller bag over city streets

Unless you are in an extremely tight budget, I’d take the cab.

If it’s a spinner, don’t because those wheels are flimsy & cheap. If it’s a 2 wheel upright, why not! Those two wheels are strong and built into the upright. I’ve had mine for over 10 years and have certainly walked with it over 2 miles to get to train stations. I wouldn’t spend a dime to sit in traffic in a cab. It’s much, much easier to walk and arguably faster.

Pam talked me into taking the taxi during my last solo trip when our local RS travel group was sharing stories & advice. It was nice to take the taxi a few times to arrive at the next hotel without pulling or carrying my suitcase. So, my new threshold - a 15-minute walk with luggage is fine as long as I’m not crossing major traffic.

Edit: as Continental just mentioned, it’s more predictable to just walk to the transportation location the next morning. If I am heading to the train station, I prefer to walk. I had a taxi in Rouen, called by the hotel, that never showed up.

I'd probably walk that, depending on the weather and how I was feeling.

Map out a 1.5 mile sidewalk route in your home town. See if you can find sidewalks paved with cobblestones for the full effect. Fill up your bags with heavy things (to simulate how they'll be loaded when you land in Barcelona). Then go pull those bags around.

How's the weather in Barcelona when you're doing this? Maybe practice in mid-summer on a sunny day to simulate that.
Will you be doing this right after arriving on a flight from far away? If so, then stay up all night and try your test to see what kind of mood you'll be in when doing the real drag.

I think you'll quickly decide that a mile is MUCH further than you thought it was, and that the price of a taxi is an incredible bargain. I could be wrong about that.

If you are taking the Aero airport bus from the Barcelona airport, the stops are at/near metro stations, You can probably get an easy connections that will take you to the hotel.

Edit : If you are taking a city bus, you cannot transfer to metro on same ticket.

I am planning a trip to Barcelona this spring, and using internet, found that I can take the aerobus to Universitat stop and then get on the L5 metro to Sagrada Familia stop which is near my accomodation. I will have to buy a metro ticket, and plan on doing that at the airport.

I would have no problem walking 1.5 mile with my two wheel bag, if time is not an issue.

A mile and a half is about 30 minutes of walking at an average pace, without stopping to navigate, gawk, or for crosswalks. I'm relatively agile, but that seems like a lot to me.

Add on the fact that Spanish sidewalks aren't concrete, like in the states. Rather, they're paved with bricks/pavers that not only have groves between them, but often patterns stamped into them, making for a rough surface across which to roll a bag. And noisy!

https://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/features/barcelona-history-underfoot-the-citys-tiles/

I'd take a cab.

I've probably done 1-1/2 miles several times. Pulling a bag for 1 mile is common for me, because I am cheap. Also, if you're going to be cheated by a taxi driver, it's likely to be on a ride away from a train station, bus station or airport. I don't enjoy that, even if the amount of excess charge is paltry. I don't like to bounce any bag, even a 2-wheeler (my preference), over steps and curbs, though, and stopping to lift the bag gets old when you have a long walk.

The point about possibly doing this on a hot day is a valid one, in my experience.

Two -wheels, as far as you want. My husband and I often walked a few kilometers in the morning sun and air when arriving in Europe. Sometimes it’s not worth hassling a metro for a short distance.

I am surprised this is even a question. We have our RS original bags and routinely would not think twice about walking that distance with the packs on our backs. I guess it is different because of the rollers.
We have done that sort of walk to and from our lodging all over the world in all weather. And we are 68 and 72. Our bags weigh in at about 20#.
I do hate the sound of roller bags being pulled along a rough or cobbled street.

Save your strength.

Take a cab.

Rest…..then start walking….

If it’s a spinner, don’t because those wheels are flimsy & cheap

This is so ridiculous. I've been using spinners for the past three years, walked all over the place, and never had a problem.

Take a cab. How much can it cost?

as noted it's probably about 30 minutes, and not knowing what condition the sidewalks are actually in.

you could try using google maps and then shifting into street view (that little icon of the guy) to see what the area is really like

Frank II; from time to time the forum falls victim to "conventional wisdom" that isn't based on any empirical data.

Ive used them for more than 10 years with no issues, not even on bad pavement (then I have the option to drag them like a trolly)

But I would take a cab too.

Tilting a spinner up on its two back wheels to deal with rough pavement will put extra stress on those two wheels. That's how I ended up with a failed rear wheel. And then a second failed rear wheel (after I swapped them) 30 days later. Folks who regularly take taxis to and from their hotels (hint, hint) naturally are far less likely to have a problem. That said, it almost doesn't matter anymore, because it is very, very difficult to find bags with just two wheels. We're just going to have to deal with it.

We were in Barcelona last Nov staying at a hotel on Ramblas. The sidewalks around there all have decorative patterns and bumps making it a pain for spinner luggage. The day we left we rolled out bags down to Catalunya sqr to take the Aerobus. What should have been a short, easy walk was exhausting.

We also used the metro from the train station to the hotel. Was a bit of a challenge to find escalators or elevators. They're there, just tricky to find.

Last trip in Barcelona, we took cabs to and from our hotel. But, if it’s daylight and if you know how to get to your hotel, rolling it for 1.5 miles wouldn’t be a mistake - just personal choice.

As mentioned, the journey would be tougher on spinner wheels.

We routinely walk up to a mile between train stations and inns, sometimes more. We feel like we see more that way and often it doesn't take much longer than a cab. If the route is safe in terms of time of day and location, we'd walk it. We like to save our travel budget for other creature comforts like food and beverages.

I had a 4 wheeled, spinner bag, and that didn't last long after going over brick and cobbled walkways. I am very happy with my new bag with 2 wheels that are set into the base of the case.

I would say that its a personal choice depending on your travel budget and the priorities you set.

A mile and a half pulling a rolling bag over cobblestones will take more than 30 minutes. The average brisk walking pace for someone that’s excellently fit is 15 minutes per mile. Please take the cab then take a walk.

Tired tourists pulling luggage=pickpocket bait. Save your energy, belongings. Cabs are plentiful, cheap and all accept tap and pay credit cards.

If the weather was good, I would do it, but I love to walk. I’ve done a mile and a half many times. The longest I’ve walked with a rolling suitcase is three miles in Paris. When I was finished, I thought maybe that wasn’t the best idea.

We've walked from P. Roma to Rialto Bridge area in Venice (1 to 1.25 miles) with 2 wheel bags without any problem.

I loved my spinner from TJMaxx when we did door-to-door travel from the US. But in France, I went out the door of my apartment building to walk 3/10 of a mile to the airport shuttle. Uneven stone work in my courtyard, a pile of sand on the sidewalk, curbs , and I was exhausted before I got to the first corner. When we went back to the States, I bought a 2-wheeler on Travelpro's website. The spinner stays in our basement storage.

Otherwise, we used to be big walkers with our two-wheelers and enjoyed it. But, I'm lazy now.

I was in Spain in 2019 and I used cabs a few times at the end of the day to return to my hotel as my feet were tired and I remember thinking they were inexpensive compared to other European cities. Don’t know if that helps or is even still true…

This is so ridiculous. I've been using spinners for the past three years, walked all over the place, and never had a problem.
Take a cab. How much can it cost?

Ridiculous? You can disagree without being rude. You’ve been a part of this group long enough to know better. I see people break their spinners all of the time when I commute back-and-forth in midtown Manhattan by foot especially now that business travel is in full swing. These bags aren’t meant to be dragged on dangling wheels. As for the cost of a cab, if you want to sit in traffic and not move and watch the meter keep rising, that’s your option to waste money & time by sitting still. Both are expensive.

I have walked with an older pair of 2-wheeled suitcases (several years ago) from the station in Bruges to 't-Zand to find an ATM ( we had no BEFs so couldn't take a bus, so that shows how long ago) and then when no machine there kept walking into the centre (still no ATM) and eventually found our hotel which helped us find a machine. This was in the days when Rick's maps were not completely perfectly accurate so we did go a bit further than the most direct route.

Some of the roads are cobblestone and the suitcases survived - still have and use them - and I can't say how many miles we walked, but we survived. We were quite a lot younger. Was it too far? For sure. Thank goodness for Euro now. After all that we had a great visit (but hated the hotel, opposite the loading bay of the theatre so trucks coming and going all night - it isn't in the guidebook any more) and took the bus back to the station when we left.

Got a story that has been retold many times out of it though.....

Sorry, Continental, when you make a statement like "If it’s a spinner, don’t because those wheels are flimsy & cheap" I'm going to call you on it. It would be like saying I met a few New Yorkers who are rude and obnoxious therefore all New Yorkers are rude and obnoxious. It's not true just generalizing. (And I'm a born and bred New Yorker.)

If you buy a cheap bag, you will get cheap wheels. If you learn how to look for quality, you shouldn't have a problem. I've seen spinner wheels break on other people's bags but when I looked saw they were cheap bags.

You don't have to buy an expensive bag to get quality. You just can't buy a noname knockoff to save money. Not with spinners.

Can spinners be harder to manage on rough surfaces? Yes. But for all the other times, which is the majority of the times, they're a breeze. And they don't take up as much floor space as some do who are dragging their two wheeler way behind them.

Dont judge the spinner wheels of years ago with the wheels of today. They are much better and sturdier.

But I do realize there are people who hate spinners and no matter what they will always hate them

And you don't necessarily sit in traffic every time you take a taxi. Not everywhere is NYC.

I've rolled mine dozens of miles over the past 20 years. Great exercise!

No cab for this fella.

I went into the Lipault store in Paris to look for a roller. When I tipped the 4-wheeled bag onto two, the saleswoman came running over, saying the four-wheel carry-on was not built to roll on two wheels. Everyone might do it, but does any brand/model advertise that it's made to be used either way? You'd think it would be made into a selling point if it were constructed as a dual-usage system.

Bets, it's not going to be a selling point because they should all be able to do it.

The big change in spinner wheels over the past 2-3 year is eight wheels instead of 4. This way if one wheel breaks, the remaining seven will keep the bag working fine.

I had this happen to me. No, it was not on rough pavement. It was actually on a train when trying to lift it out of a crowded luggage rack. It got caught and instead of carefully looking how it was being held, I yanked. When I got to the hotel, I happen to look at the wheel and saw one side of one wheel was gone. It still worked fine. I got in touch with the manufacturer and they sent me a new wheel free of charge. It took five minutes to change.

Some people just don't like spinners. That's fine. I just won't someone to say all are cheap and break easily when it's not true.

With all apologies to jansusan1507 for taking their thread on a journey. Frank II you’ve got me 80% convinced now. Perhaps the Lepault lady was leaping needlessly. It will take personal experience for me to get the rest of the way to 100%.

I also get a little tired of people making generalizations about various types of luggage. I've had spinners for the last 10 years and have taken them many miles over sidewalks and other terrain and never had any problems. 2-wheeled bags tire my arms and slow me down.

To the OP, why don't you wait and see what you feel like when you get there? I do that a lot - sometimes I plan on walking with my bag but I'm tired and just want to get settled. Or I arrive and the area is beautiful and I want to explore it, so I walk. It's not like you have to plan this in advance. :)

We were in Barcelona last summer and I would wait to decide once you are there. If you are tired or the weather is not conducive then cabs were plentiful and inexpensive. If it is a nice day and you have the energy just start walking. If you get a little tired walking, stop and have a drink and snack at a sidewalk cafe, there are several in most every block, and just enjoy the wonderful city. Easily is a decision you can make without planning ahead. This is assuming you are in a busy part of the city. Have a wonderful trip.

Yesterday I walked with a spinner bag (bought in 2015; gotta use it sometime) from Stazione Termini in Rome to my hotel about 1/2 mile away. It was quite unpleasant. The sidewalks were not in good shape and I had to cross at least two cobbled streets. My arm got tired, just keeping the bag rolling. A two-wheeler would have been massively easier to manage; I've done that over 100 times on European sidewalks, so I know whereof I speak.

I believe the consensus on 2 wheel vs 4 wheel is this.....personal choice. Some people like 2 wheels, some people like 4 wheels.

It's like wheels vs no wheels. Some like one type while others like the other type.

It's all personal choice. There isn't one right way for everyone.

Thanks everyone for your responses. Really appreciate your feedback!

Well, well I’m not a big spinner fan. I did finally break down and buy one, the wheels on it are probably better than most 2 wheels. Haven’t compared them to ricks, I would definitely say they’re better than what he has. Of course It’s a Briggs and Riley and it cost a lot of money, but it has really good wheels. I’ve seen some two wheel bags with incredibly cheap wheels.

I find in life generalizations are generally not 100% accurate

https://www.afar.com/magazine/two-wheel-vs-four-wheel-luggage-why-roller-bags-are-better

just fyi. I don't have a dog in the fight. I use a backpack. With a hip belt. I used to hike more than 10 km on trails with a 25 lb pack. Not anymore, but I never get too fussed about walking 1-2 km in the city.